INTRODUCTION
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), the virus
causing COVID-19, has caused a devastating pandemic with over 100
million cases and 2 million deaths globally so far.1To date, children have been relatively spared from severe disease and
death, representing around 2% of hospitalizations and less than 1 in
every 1,000 COVID-19 deaths.2 However, pediatric
patients with underlying conditions have higher rates of hospitalization
and death compared with previously healthy children.3
Other respiratory viral infections such as influenza and respiratory
syncytial virus, are among the leading causes of disease and death among
pediatric populations.4–7 Co-circulation of influenza
and SARS-CoV2 can lead to diagnostic and management difficulties given
the similarities in the clinical picture. However, data directly
comparing influenza and Covid-19 are scarce, especially in pediatric
populations.
The objective of our study was to describe the clinical characteristics
and outcomes of children hospitalized with SARS-CoV2 in a pediatric
referral hospital and compare them to a cohort of hospitalized children
with influenza in the same center.